Becton Dickinson is providing CD4 Counters (FACS Count) to Tanzania and has frequently been in the public domain and many newspapers reported about allegations of poor scientific performance and corruption connected to the Ministry of Health of Tanzania concerning the procurement of these gadgets.

In Bulongwa Lutheran Hospital, where a well working CYFLOW counter of Germany's PARTEC was in place up to early 2006, the satisfying CD4 counting situation has been changed to worse since a FACS count replaced the CYFLOW and compared to previous days only about half of the CD4 counts are performed. This situation is deadly for many. According to latest international scientific publications, the lack of CD4 counts will lead to worse treatment outcome and unnecessarily early dead of People who live with HIV/AIDS

Now Venezela has taken bold steps dealing with practices of the US company:

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=10717&ArticleId=180309



Gov’t slaps fine on US medical firm

The state’s antimonopoly watchdog said it was imposing a $1.6 million fine on the local unit of U.S. medical equipment maker Becton Dickinson and Co. for “abusing its position” in the Venezuelan market.

The Office for the Promotion and Protection of Free Competition (Pro-Competencia) said Becton Dickinson Venezuela had refused to sell to its local authorized distributor, Inmunolab Laboratorios C.A., chemical reagents used in Becton Dickinson’s medical testing kits for HIV and AIDS patients.
It added that since Becton Dickinson controlled a 100- percent local market share for these FACSCount diagnostic systems used in the treatment of AIDS in Venezuela, this move by the U.S. company put the local patients at risk.
“Pro-Competencia has decided ... to impose a fine of Bs.3,484,267,331 ($1.6 million) on Becton Dickinson Venezuela C.A., for abusing its dominant position and the practice of exclusion,” Pro-Competencia said in a statement on Friday.
By Reuters